Has anyone had PT for low back pain and did it help?

phxbarb, it can depend upon how the physician has written the order for PT. You might ask the doctor to rewrite the order specifically for the low back pain and see a new PT. I wouldn't give up on pt, nor would I give more time to the way it is going.
You might talk to the physical therapist and tell them the treatment you' think would best help you.
I hope PT works out for you. It can be amazing.

yes and no

I may not be the best in the advice business but I am 72 years old and have suffered chronic pain for 45 years. I have had 4 spinal surgeries including 3 fusions. I have had physical therapy off and on over the years without much success. Fortunately, it sounds like your problems are not at that level. I can tell you that I finally found a physical therapist that has made a difference in my comfort level.
He is my age and still helping people. My neighbor, a uroligtst, was suffering back pain and I suggested he see him. In 2 visits he had him back doing surgeries. I think mostly he was suffering from back strain and over doing it. The Big difference for me was his use of dry needling. He also works me over applying deep muscle massage. I would say don't give up on finding someone who can really help you get back where you can enjoy your life. You have to take charge and become the expert on what works. Good luck

The last PT guy I saw did some needling, but to no avail.

I have lower back pain, not the absolute worst, but does interfere with life. I do the Somatic lighthouse exercise with Ed Paget.
I also see a PT and a Cranial PT
I am doing so much better. The PT did a massage this week and that was great. She

@phxbarb
I have cervical and lumbar stenosis, degenerative disc disease, myelopathy and neurogenic claudication. I have had cervical and lumbar decompression and fusion surgeries. In my experience, I have not received much help from physical therapy. I can get better information on the internet and exercise videos. My challenge is making sure to do them consistently.

Many physical therapists don’t seem to focus on your need to get stronger and avoid injury so you can do daily tasks more safely and successfully. After I had lumbar surgery and was getting PT, they kept focusing on my cervical myelopathy weakness in arms/hands/hips/legs rather than helping me stretch and strengthen my lower back and core. My PT actually cancelled my therapy until I met with my surgeon about my cervical spine (I have a herniated disc at c6-c7 and need another surgery next month). Why he couldn’t keep helping me with my lower back is puzzling to me.

I am way past the pain level you are, But I am strugling with leg pain and leg injury and still trying to get help. I am afaid I have periphial neuropothy, I read about amputation an get scared. I am 72 and otherwise in good health.
I plan on going to the mayo clinic in Jacksonville.

I would think that in order to do proper PT that they would need to properly diagnose the pain source. In my case I don't think that they've done that.

I went to PT for my lower back and my physical therapist was incredible. Everyone is different but I only needed to go 4 or 5 times over a few months; all of the exercises can be done at home. Two years later, I can say that there's a direct correlation between the magnitude of my back pain and how often I've been doing my exercises. The pain isn't ever going to disappear but I can keep it manageable most of the time.

Before I saw my physical therapist, I had been trying to stretch my sore back on my own. What felt like an intuitive stretch to me was actually completely wrong. I very much needed a professional to show me the right way to move my body and I'm so glad that I went.

If your physical therapist isn't addressing the pain that you need addressed, move on. I can't guess their motivation for providing inadequate care but you deserve someone who treats your actual pain. It drives me crazy when I visit a healthcare provider and they try to glom on to something irrelevant! Good luck to you.

I have an exercise physiologist working with me. He was trained as a chiropractor but owned several gyms in Australia and became an expert in rehabilitation of back disease. He shares an office with a brilliant neurologist in Palm Springs. Chair and balance exercise is the basic model.